SEEKING - Individuals Who Want to Cause An Effect in Their Communities

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Across the United States and Canada, State Farm is searching for people who want to Cause An Effect by bringing $25,000 to their communities. From February 29 through March 20, consumers can visit the Cause An Effect tab on the State Farm Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/statefarm) to submit a Cause and help build safer, stronger, better educated communities.

Cause An Effect is a new, youth-led, crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative that relies on local, non-profit organizations to create solutions to community issues identified by consumers. Cause An Effect invites consumers to submit their neighborhood Cause via Facebook for a chance to win one of the 40 grants.

"State Farm is committed to helping communities get to a better state," said Kellie Clapper, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations for State Farm. "We're inspired by efforts we've seen as communities have come together to address local challenges. From revamping a town square to providing programming at a local recreation center, communities are using creativity and ingenuity to get to a better state, and we hope to harness that energy through this initiative."

The State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a diverse group of 30 full-time high school and university students who are passionate about social responsibility, will review the Cause submissions and help State Farm select 100 finalists. State Farm will identify and pair one of the recommended or user-suggested nonprofits with each Cause. These nonprofits will create and execute a plan to address the Cause; the Cause submitter can be as involved as they choose to be in this process.

Once finalists are selected on April 27th, communities will get the chance to rally behind the Cause that means the most to them by voting on the State Farm Facebook page up to 10 times daily until May 17th, when voting concludes. The 40 Causes that receive the most votes will be announced on May 22, and a $25,000 grant will be awarded to the affiliated nonprofits to implement the solution.

"With Cause An Effect, we are empowering individuals to bring a $25,000 grant directly to their community," reinforces Clapper. "The program allows anyone to submit a Cause in their community, and provides them local nonprofit support, taking action together to address the Cause that will create a lasting Effect.

For more information on Cause An Effect or to submit a Cause, visit the State Farm Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/statefarm) or search #causeaneffect on Twitter.

About State Farm®:

State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 37 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.

About the Youth Advisory Board

The Youth Advisory Board is comprised of 30 students, ages 17-20, from across the United States and Canada who serve a two-year term. Their directive is to implement a $5 million-a-year signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to youth and communities. The Board is completely autonomous and youth-driven, and funds projects focused on issues selected by the board that impact youth. It consists of a diverse group of full-time students at high schools and universities. Each member commits about 15 hours a month to the Board and participates in three face-to-face meetings per calendar year. The Board will fund the 40 grants awarded through the Cause An Effect program with a portion of its $5 million funding in 2012. For more information on the Youth Advisory Board, visit www.statefarmYouth Advisory Board.com.

SOURCE State Farm